Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is a new treatment for refractory heart failure. However, most patients with heart failure treated with CRT are adults, middle-aged or older with idiopathic or ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. We treated a 12-year-old boy, who was transferred after cardiac arrest, with dilated cardiomyopathy, left bundle-branch block, and ventricular tachycardia. We perfo...

Chronic heart failure has become a significant health problem. Cardiac surgery has an important role in the treatment of patients with heart failure. There are traditional surgical techniques in cardiac surgery - coronary revascularization, valve surgery, ventricular reconstructive surgery as well as new surgical techniques - cardiac support device (CorCap), mechanical circulatory support and r...

We report the case of a 66-year-old man with heart failure NYHA class IV treated with biventricular pacing for cardiac resynchronization. The patient was evaluated by real-time three-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography before and 48 hours after pacemaker implantation. The use of three-dimensional echocardiography contributed to understanding the underlying mechanism involved in cardiac r...

Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries is a rare heart defect that can be associated with systemic ventricular dysfunction and conduction disturbances. The use of cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with congenital heart disease is not fully established, and achievement of successful pregnancies after implantation of transvenous, biventricular system has never been...

Nowadays, chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) remains a challenge despite significant progress in drug therapy. Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has revolutionized CHF treatment as a result of improved cardiac function based on optimal drug therapy [1, 2]. However, approximately 18% to 32% of patients who have undergone CRT do not experience positive curative effects [3, 4]. Recent st...

Cardiac resynchronization therapy in patients with congenital heart disease can be technically challenging. We report a case of upgrade of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator to a resynchronization device, in a patient with dextrocardia and situs inversus. The procedure was successfully performed without complication, using a conventional approach and standard equipment.

Pacemakers are indicated in patients with certain symptomatic bradyarrhythmias caused by sinus node dysfunction, and in those with frequent, prolonged sinus pauses. Patients with third-degree or complete atrioventricular (AV) block benefit from pacemaker placement, as do those with type II second-degree AV block because of the risk of progression to complete AV block. The use of pacemakers in p...

BACKGROUND Cardiac resynchronization therapy produces both short-term hemodynamic and long-term symptomatic/mortality benefits in symptomatic heart failure patients with a QRS duration >120 ms. This is conventionally believed to be due principally to relief of dyssynchrony, although we recently showed that relief of external constraint to left ventricular filling may also play a role. In this s...

Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is an important therapy for patients with heart failure and conduction pathology, but the benefits are heterogeneous between patients and approximately a third of patients do not show signs of clinical or echocardiographic response. This calls for a better understanding of the underlying conduction disease and resynchronization. In this review, we discuss...